Hello! Hello! Hello!

From: Nicholas Holmes <nicholas.holmes@myldsmail.net>

Wow so what a week this was!! Sounds like the week was just as busy and crazy for you all there! Shouts out to Andrew and the graduation! Sounds like it went real well and now into the real world! Good luck!! Congrats to Christian and his tourney. Sounds like you played way well. Keep it up bro!!  And to Lee for being the sociology champ....I'm still a little bitter that Mr. Clark cheated me like crazy!

So this week was a crazy one for me, that's for sure!  Super hectic but I made it out alive so that's the good thing!  My comp got really sick this week starting on Wednesday. So Wednesday we stayed in the house pretty much all day which was a bummer, but it was a great day of studying so that was good! The next day as well we had a meeting with President and the Assistants which was super important so my comp didn't want to miss it.  The next day he was looking a lot better and was up to go to the meeting! But as we were riding on the train he passed out! haha! It was in the morning so the train was packed full!  It's crazy how many people were in there so it was funny because he passed out but he didn't fall because there were so many people! Not much I could do seeing as the train was still going and I couldn't even move my arms! So he was stuck there for a few minutes before we got to the next station! I know I shouldn't laugh but it was pretty funny! haha.  I think he just got a little clausterphobic and lost it! The other elders we were with also couldn't help but laugh, but no worries, he's all better now. Just needed some fresh air! 

Anyway this meeting with president was super good. It was with all the zone and district leaders in the mission. They presented a pilot program that our mission has been invited to do! We were invited to do this pilot to measure the success and see if they will use it throughout the rest of Brazil as well! Super awesome that the big dogs have so much confidence in our misson! So basically the new program will focus a lot with retention of new members!  The Brazil area is concerned with the amount of new members going inactive so this program is based on retaining these people. The first thing that will be done is 50 percent of our proselyting time will be spent with converts that were baptized recently, specifally those who were baptized between September and December! I got so stoked because that is the time period exactly that I was in JD Clementino, so now all my converts there will be super well cared for!!!  Way awesome! There are a lot of other details as well but in general that's the basics of it! We have to log alot of things correctly daily to pass to the area to see the success. But this will be super awesome because recent converts always know more people outside the church. So if we  get them excited, the refereces will follow! So the baptisms won't decline, but actually increase! Everyone is super excited about the program as well! It should be super awesome! We will be using that pamphlet called "my family" a lot. I don't know if you've seen it but they are putting a ton of emphasis on it in this program. President said he spent 2 weeks with the prophet and the 12 and all they focused on was that pamplet! So it should help out alot! It is way cool and way simple as well. We will be putting the booklet into effect with all the recent converts and members as well! I started filling mine out today and it was a way cool experience! The spirt I felt just putting the names and dates of my family members in the book was incredible!  I put in all the way up to the great grandparents which was so cool. It sure got me thinking and remembering a ton about my grandparents and the memories I have with them!!  I'm going to need your help though to finish it completely! I'll send you the details that I need.  I'd also like stories of your parents and grandparents.  It would be sweet to read these stories and remember everyone.  Mom sent me with a few, but the more the better!

So ya we will be giving these out a ton and helping everyone fill them out!  We have already seen the excitment in some of the members as they fill them out. It's so cool the spirit that it brings!  Everyone should do it!! There's a member in the ward here that thinks i should go further with my geneology to find out my relation to Katie Holmes! haha!

So this weekend was pretty crazy as well running around and presenting this program to the stake president and all the bishops in our zone so that everyone can be on the same page! This pilot will be done until the end of June and in May, an apostle will be visiting our mission which is awesome!!!

Well that's pretty much what happened this week! Crazy hectic getting this program perfected and implemented in the mission but it should be great! Karina got a calling yesterday into the primary which made her super excited! She should do well in there! As for the sad news.....I was transferred :(  I got the call last night so tomorrow I'm out of here!  Oh man i did not want to leave this ward. This ward is so awesome, so i got pretty sad, but I am excited for the next area the lord has prepared for me!  It was funny because Cicera was saying that she doesn't like seeing us be transferred because she cries, but we reassured her that neither of us would be transferred, and then that night I got the call!  oops! All I know is that I will continue as a zone leader but I don't know anything else! Everyone meets and they read who is going where and then you leave! Anyway, that's pretty much it for the week!  I hope everyone has a good week this week!

Love

Elder Holmes